Marin Readers' Forum for March 31

Thank you for alerting us, the public, that decision makers are once again throwing us under the bus.

Your March 26 front-page headline, "Grand jury endorses herbicides — Report calls for limited use to reduce invasive plants on Mt. Tam," reminded me of the 1970s decision to put toxins in our sofas because smokers might "burn to death when they fall asleep while smoking."

Maybe we need a good fire every now and then to rid the hills of those scotch broom that developers planted in the '70s for erosion control.

And if homeowners with mountainside homes have to stay in hotels, oh well! Better they suffer, than countless mothers, fathers and children with cancer.

We all have decisions to make in life. People who choose to build or buy near hillsides full of weeds, knowingly take that risk.

But the rest of us who don't realize the water has been compromised by poisons — or that the fish are tainted by the toxic runoff — are not in a position to stop that poison from entering us, thanks to a few incompetent decision makers.

Don't do this to us. Use your god-given brains and avoid giving us cancer.

Margot Geitheim, Tiburon

'Actual leadership'

Bill Bagley's March 28 Marin Voice column gives hope that politicians on all sides of the aisle may one day return to their senses and begin to solve problems rather than create them.

For most of my life we have had to watch the clown shows in Sacramento and Washington make mockeries of what was once considered a respected and high calling — representing fellow citizens in elected office.

It goes without saying that people like Mr. Bagley are missing in action. It is time to replace incumbents who lack the skills and temperaments required for actual leadership.

It will take a couple of election cycles, but it must be done.

Skip Corsini, San Rafael

Who is 'illegal?'

I am really sorry to see so much hostility expressed about "illegal immigrants."

The truth is the matter is that our country declared an illegal war against Mexico in 1846 solely for the purpose of taking their land.

We are the ones who are "illegal." Ask any history teacher.

Yvette Wakefield, Fairfax

Reform should be backed

I expect to see Assemblyman Marc Levine's AB1163, a bill to expand taxpayer representatives on the CalPERS pension board on the Board of Supervisors' agenda, fully endorsed by all supervisors, and actively supported in Sacramento.